Decaying sterile neutrinos at short baselines

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Hostert, Matheus, Kelly, Kevin J., Zhou, Tao
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Hostert, Matheus
Kelly, Kevin J.
Zhou, Tao
author_facet Hostert, Matheus
Kelly, Kevin J.
Zhou, Tao
contents Long-standing anomalous experimental results from short-baseline neutrino experiments have persisted for decades. These results, when interpreted with one or more light sterile neutrinos, are inconsistent with numerous null results experimentally. However, if the sterile neutrino decays en route to the detector, this can mimic $ν_μ\to ν_e$ oscillation signals while avoiding many of these external constraints. We revisit this solution to the MiniBooNE and LSND puzzles in view of new data from the MicroBooNE experiment at Fermilab. Using MicroBooNE's liquid-argon time-projection chamber search for an excess of $ν_e$ in the Booster beam, we derive new limits in two models' parameter spaces of interest: where the sterile neutrino decays (I) via mixing with the active neutrinos, or (II) via higher-dimensional operators. We also provide an updated, comprehensive fit to the MiniBooNE neutrino- and antineutrino-beam data, including appearance ($ν_e$) and disappearance ($ν_μ$) channels. Despite alleviating the tension with muon neutrino disappearance experiments, we find that the latest MicroBooNE analysis rules out the decaying sterile neutrino solution in a large portion of the parameter space at more than $99\%$ CL.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_04401
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Decaying sterile neutrinos at short baselines
Hostert, Matheus
Kelly, Kevin J.
Zhou, Tao
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Long-standing anomalous experimental results from short-baseline neutrino experiments have persisted for decades. These results, when interpreted with one or more light sterile neutrinos, are inconsistent with numerous null results experimentally. However, if the sterile neutrino decays en route to the detector, this can mimic $ν_μ\to ν_e$ oscillation signals while avoiding many of these external constraints. We revisit this solution to the MiniBooNE and LSND puzzles in view of new data from the MicroBooNE experiment at Fermilab. Using MicroBooNE's liquid-argon time-projection chamber search for an excess of $ν_e$ in the Booster beam, we derive new limits in two models' parameter spaces of interest: where the sterile neutrino decays (I) via mixing with the active neutrinos, or (II) via higher-dimensional operators. We also provide an updated, comprehensive fit to the MiniBooNE neutrino- and antineutrino-beam data, including appearance ($ν_e$) and disappearance ($ν_μ$) channels. Despite alleviating the tension with muon neutrino disappearance experiments, we find that the latest MicroBooNE analysis rules out the decaying sterile neutrino solution in a large portion of the parameter space at more than $99\%$ CL.
title Decaying sterile neutrinos at short baselines
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.04401